HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-03-30, Page 11Dodge Trucks
C'nMM1J1,11TY
Guest columnist
By Val Thomson
A new look at the month of March
It is the Friday of the March
break as I begin to write this.
Our house has taken on that
'March break look'.
There are more toys scattered
about than usual. You'd be sur-
prised how many square feet of
a home can be covered by lego,
and WOW, don't they hurt
when you step on them?!
The dress -up box has been
dug into and the porch has been
taken over by a racetrack. The
mat in the bathroom has been
converted into a field with small
wooden blocks for hay bales,
(which are also very hard on the
feet.) Sleeping bags and pillows
are strewn all over the play-
room, as the kids have been
camping out in there.
Ordinarily when the house
gets this untidy, I can't stand it,
but I am gradually learning that
there are times when it's better
to just put up with it. After all, it
is supposed to be a break for the
kids. We have tidied it up
enough to make it tolerable.
`I know I'll miss the mess'
I can catch up on the house-
work next week. Someday,
things will stay put for a long
time, our mats won't be fields
any more, and our playroom
won't be used for playing. This
may sound strange but I know I
will miss the mess.
For, now, the way our house
looks is just evidence that our
children are able to have fun
and use their imaginations;
something I am grateful for.
They have played well together
with only a few skirmishes and
if they can be satisfied with
camping in the playroom in-
stead of going south for a vaca-
tion, then I certainly won't com-
plain.
1 never used 'to fike the month
of March. It always seemed to
be so blah. The weather is usual-
ly cold but there's not enough
snow for the usual winter fun.
Everything is brown and mud-
dy. Just as it gets a little bit
warm and dry, the cold and wet
return. I often wished March
would hurry up and get over
with. But I'm beginning to see
March in a new way.
The calm before the storm
Being a farm wife, I have
come to recognize March as the
calm before the storm. This will
be the last month, for a while, in
which we can take our time at
meals without rushing back out
to do field work or yard work.
Gone will be the chance to sit
and read or write during the
daylight hours. So I'm no longer
in a hurry to get March over
with because I know how much
busier we will be.
For those of us for whom va-
cations to the sunny south are
not part of our way of life,
March still has things to look
forward to; like seeing your first
robin, tasting fresh maple syrup,
and perhaps the odd day when
Big Bike Ride
on May 22
OODERICH - Your opportunity
to pedal one of the world's biggest
hikes comes this spring. The Big
Bike Ride for Stroke, a 3 km ride
to raise funds for stroke, takes
place in Goderich, Sunday, May
22.
The Big Bike is a 50' -long, 30 -
seat vehicle that a toam of 29 can
ride (a driver is provided for safety
purposes).
The Big Bike Ride for Stroke is
a pled based, community event
that is novel, wacky and encourag-
es team spirit. Participants earn
great prizes. Organizations benefit
from the publicity and camaraderie
generated by this fun, highly visi-
ble event. To ride the Big Bike,
each participant must collect a
minimum of $50 in pledges.
The Huron Chapter of the Heart
and Stroke Foundation is recruit-
ing teams of 29 to participate in
the Big Bike. Interested persons
should call the Ooderich office of
the Heart and Stroke Foundation at
524-4440.
you can actually go to town
without boots on and five or six
layers of clothes to keep warm.
This particular March has had
some other nice things happen. I
had the chance to experience the
fun and excitement of high
school volleyball as I watched
my niece, Kathy, and her team-
mates make their way through
WOSSA and to the finals of the
OFSAA tournament. The semi-
final match had to be the best.
Thrilling, charged with emo-
tion
It was thrilling and so charged
with emotion, the whole crowd
was on the edge of their seats,
and then when they won, every-
one was ecstatic. It was truly
great to see such spirit, and for
me it was the chance to relive
something we had to miss out
on. This was the next best thing
to having experienced it myself.
A personal salute to the girls
who didn't get to play much. I
know exactly how you feel but
don't worry, you've acquired
some great skills and hopefully
a love for the game which you'll
be able to use somewhere,
someday.
That brings me to another nice
thing about this March. I was
asked to play in a mixed volley-
ball tournament on the last
weekend of the month. Having
Times -Advocate, March 30, 1994 Page 11
that to look forward to really
makes my day. It's a nice break
to go and be nothing but a vol-
leyball player for a while.
We all need 'down thee'
We all need an outlet or a
break from our everyday rou-
tines. Even a little 'down time'
is helpful now and then. It gives
our imaginations a chance to
work and gives us time to col-
lect our thoughts. All of our
time needn't be planned into ac-
tivities or outings to be worth-
while. Time spent doing seem-
ingly nothing is not necessarily
wasted.
I realize that this month pre-
pares us for the busy seasons
ahead. I like this new outlook I
have because I'll appreciate and
enjoy March and it won't seem
so blah anymore.
Editor's Note: Val Thomson
is a homemaker, farmer and
mother of four young children.
She and her husband Cliff, (bet-
ter known as The Seed) live
near Granton
rTo register call 238.08801 week of March 281i
Continuing Education for Adults
South Huron District High School
Night School Courses
1. Introduction to Word Perfect - 6 weeks, $60.00
Tuesday April 5 to Tuesday, May 10 7 - 9 p.m.
2. Spreadsheets, Graphs, Charts using Lotus 1-2-3
and Microsoft Works - 6 weeks $60.00
Wednesday, April 6 to Wednesday May 11 7 - 9 p.m.
3. Introduction to Basic Bookkeeping, 6 weeks
. $60.00
Monday, April 4 to Monday, May 9, 7 - 9 p.m.
4. Une Dancing, 6 weeks $40.00
Thursday, April 7 to Thursday May 12, 7 - 9 p.m.
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